First wash/wax suggestions and advice

[hondo]

We will be picking up our new Civic Wed night. It's white orchid pearl. It is supposed to be around 60f on Friday so I plan to give it a proper cleaning to start things off right and prepare it for the winter. I am thinking the following:

1. Wash
2. Clay
3. Mother's Micro-polishing glaze (step 2)
4. Meguiars NXT 2.0

I do have a bottle of Mother's Pure Polish step 1 around, but I am thinking that it won't be necessary as the car is hasn't been sitting around very long. I am on the fence and could do it after the clay.

Does this sound like a good plan? Would you recommend adding step 1? Or possible a different plan entirely?

I'd like to hear what others have done or plan to do.

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[SuperTongue]

We will be picking up our new Civic Wed night. It's white orchid pearl. It is supposed to be around 60f on Friday so I plan to give it a proper cleaning to start things off right and prepare it for the winter. I am thinking the following:

1. Wash
2. Clay
3. Mother's Micro-polishing glaze (step 2)
4. Meguiars NXT 2.0

I do have a bottle of Mother's Pure Polish step 1 around, but I am thinking that it won't be necessary as the car is hasn't been sitting around very long. I am on the fence and could do it after the clay.

Does this sound like a good plan? Would you recommend adding step 1? Or possible a different plan entirely?

I'd like to hear what others have done or plan to do.

I honestly never washed it after bringing it home. I'm also deathly afraid of scratching it or getting swirls on it like I'd did my 2013...

Not to piggyback on your thread, but you seem to know more about washing than I do: what's the best way to avoid getting scratches or swirls from washing? I use microfiber clothes for drying / washing / waxing, but I'm still afraid I'll get swirls on it.

 

[hondo]

what's the best way to avoid getting scratches or swirls from washing?

The most important thing is to use the two bucket method. One is for the shampoo water the other is clean water. This helps avoid getting dirt in the shampoo water so you don't scratch the paint as you wash.

http://www.detailingspot.com/?page_id=15

I hit the car with a layer of foam from something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Gilmour-95QGFMR-Foamaster-Cleaning-Sprayer/dp/B000Y190WE/

If you have a power washer you can use a foam cannon.

http://www.amazon.com/Pressure-Washer-Quick-Release-Adjustable/dp/B00WPKHFA6/

I then I spray off that foam. Doing this helps get at least some of the dirt off without even touching the car, reducing the likelihood of swirls. Then I foam again and use a sponge to work the soap. I frequently rinse the sponge to avoid swirl marks.

To dry I use a silicone water blade to wipe off water from the large flat surfaces, this avoids the risk of swirl marks from towel drying. It's also much quicker. I use microfiber towels for the rest of the surface.

Hope that helps.

 

[Design]

I use ONR due to drought conditions in So Cal. Soak a few MF towels in a bucket, apply, wipe dry. Also works well for those without a driveway or designated wash area.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/tricks-tips-techniques/15836-onr-definitive-thread.html

You can check the build date which should be somewhere on the driver's door, IIRC. I believe most paints only need 30 days to cure.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-university/62360-new-paint-job-curing-time.html

 

[Newman88]

No need to wait on applying wax to a "new" car, can be done right away.

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?61465-How-Soon-Can-I-wax-a-new-car

 

[Ultrafrozen]

I had the Xzilon paint treatment done and couldn't believe how nice the paint looked after. I did pressure wash the road salt and slush off of it when i got it home after a 2.5 hour trip from the dealer and the dirt just flew off. I made sure to not get close with the nozzle and was amazed at how well the water was beading off it.

Too cold for a proper wash and wax.

 

[hondo]

I had the Xzilon paint treatment done

Nice. Did you have that done by the dealer or someone else? How much did that cost?

 

[hondo]

I've just been reading about using a leaf blower to dry the car instead of a water blade or towels. I may give this a shot since I already have an electric one.

 

[Ultrafrozen]

Nice. Did you have that done by the dealer or someone else? How much did that cost?

http://www.finalcoat.com/installed_products.html scroll down to see interior coverage.

Applied by the dealer. Exterior and interior was $499 CDN.

I didn't get it for the 10 year warranty, it's just a bonus. I had this done on my 2006 Civic and it still looks great after a good wash. Winter up here sucks and I drive 130 km each winter weekday to get to work on salt and sand covered snowy highways so every bit of protection helps.

 

[HondaMan]

No need to wait on applying wax to a "new" car, can be done right away.

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?61465-How-Soon-Can-I-wax-a-new-car

Actually, I would say immediately, to give the car protection!

 

[hondo]

I washed, clayed, polished, and sealed my new WOP Civic today. Wasn't easy in my narrow garage, but here are some pictures from tonight. Can't wait to give her a photoshoot in the daylight

 

[woohoo]

I washed, clayed, polished, and sealed my new WOP Civic today. Wasn't easy in my narrow garage, but here are some pictures from tonight. Can't wait to give her a photoshoot in the daylight

Hi hondo,

I wa wondring, so i read that no polish or wax should be applied if the car had paint protection applied. They said that polishing could take some fractions of the clear coat that or paint protectant that was applied. What are you thoughts about this?

 

[hondo]

Hi hondo,

I wa wondring, so i read that no polish or wax should be applied if the car had paint protection applied. They said that polishing could take some fractions of the clear coat that or paint protectant that was applied. What are you thoughts about this?

I didn't have any paint protection applied to the car so that wasn't an issue. I suppose if you used an aggressive polish multiple times, it could wear the clear coat. I used Mother's micro-polishing glaze. It's a very fine polish that is just enough to hide swirls but really brings out the shine.

If you have any kind of paint protection applied I would refer to the products literature for what you can and cannot do to the surface. It varies by product.

 

[hunter44102]

Isn't WAX a protector for the paint? Shouldn't we just use wax only on a brand new car?

 

[hondo]

Isn't WAX a protector for the paint? Shouldn't we just use wax only on a brand new car?

It is a protector, but I wanted to remove any blemishes from the factory and an contaminants it may have picked up along the way. Plus the delivery wash they do from the dealer isn't very good. My wife helped me find a few dozens dark spots in the white paint that I had to clay out. Then I used the micro-polish to cover up any swirl marks from the dealer's washing. Finally the wax to protect it.

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